When Qi Xu heard the words "Lord Qin" from the Governor and Censor of Yizhou, a dark and thin figure immediately emerged in his mind.
Commander-in-chief of Yizhou, Qin Zheng.
He was conferred the title of General Zhenxi by his royal grandfather and is Qin Yi’s nephew.
When Qin Yi went to Beijing to receive an award, he followed him into the palace and met Qi Xu several times.
Qin Yi had died several years ago in a battle with Xiliang. The entire Qin family was killed or injured. Now, only Qin Zheng is still serving as an official in the court.
Based on his military achievements as well as the contributions of Qin Yi and the Qin family, he should have been given a better job, but no one knows what Emperor Xiaoming was thinking in the end. He actually arranged him in Yizhou, the most desolate and barren place in the entire western part of Dayong.
In my memory, the Qin family are all strong-willed and upright heroes, but people's hearts can change, so we have to see what happens before we make a judgment.
"It's okay. Business is more important. You can meet me at any time. Of course, suppressing the bandits is more important." Qi Xu said kindly.
Upon seeing this, the Yizhou Censor and the Governor looked at each other, and both saw a sense of relief in each other's eyes.
The Censor and Governor of Tanzhou, who were sitting above the two men, seemed to relax their straight backs a little at this moment.
Qi Xu's expression remained unchanged, but his eyes quietly took in everything.
"Although Tan, Qian, and Yizhou are my fiefdoms, I have just arrived. I will have to rely on you gentlemen to help me govern the three states."
As Qi Xu spoke, he raised his fist and arched it downwards.
The people below responded one after another, "Your Highness is too polite."
"This is our job, Your Majesty, there is no need to do this."
"If the prince is ill, there is no need to be distracted by these trivial matters. We can report to the prince every once in a while."
The two people who advised the most were the Tanzhou Censor and the Provincial Governor, who were sitting at the upper left.
"I am deeply grateful for your consideration, my Lords."
"But the three states have just suffered a great disaster recently, and there is a lot to be done. How can I, the king, push all the heavy responsibilities onto you gentlemen?"
"You all, please submit the files of your respective states and regions for the past three months. Even if I am not very useful, I still have some capable people under my command who can help you with some of the work."
“Cough, cough, cough…”
"Your Highness, it's time to take your medicine. After you take it, Doctor Chen will give you acupuncture later." Feng Ping stepped forward and said.
Qi Xu waved his hand and asked him to step aside with a helpless look on his face.
"My Lords, that's the deal. We'll stop here for today. Feng Ping, go and see the others off."
After saying this, Qi Xu did not give the eight people below time to react. He stood up and left the hall with the help of the eunuchs, coughing.
A few people in the hall were left looking at each other in bewilderment, unable to figure out whether this former crown prince, now His Royal Highness King You, was really useless, or was there some other hidden motive, and was trying to test them?
"Master Qian..."
As soon as the governor of Tanzhou opened his mouth, he was stopped by the person next to him with a look, "Sir Peng, if you have anything to say, please go back and talk."
The hall soon became empty.
When the eight adults left, they passed by the head of the Mei family and others who were waiting outside the gate of Prince You's Mansion.
Seeing that the people in Prince You's Mansion seemed to have no intention of bringing these heads of noble families in, the adults, who had just become a little alert, immediately lowered their vigilance by two points.
The farther away from the capital, the more remote the area, the stronger the power of the family will be, and correspondingly, the less influence the imperial power will have on them.
This is the case with the three states of Tan, Qian and Yi.
Among them, the Mei family, which has been passed down for hundreds of years, is like a local tyrant in Tanzhou. Now the heads of various families have taken the initiative to come to pay homage to King You, not to truly submit to the abandoned prince who was defeated in the capital and was almost "exiled" to the border, but to test him.
Faced with the temptation from the aristocratic families, King You chose to stay away from them and avoid their attack.
If it’s not fear, then what is it?
…
"Master, why didn't you meet the heads of those noble families today?" Feng Ping was a little confused when he returned to the mansion.
Showing weakness like this is not the master's style.
What's more, since they have already met the three state governors, provincial judges and military commanders, it seems that it would not be a big deal to meet those heads of the aristocratic families again?
Could it be that in the master's heart, the weight of those aristocratic families is not as important as these adults in the three states?
"Not really." Qi Xu shook his head, "Quite the opposite."
"The positions in charge of the political affairs and military forces of the three states will be replaced by our own people sooner or later. The people who currently occupy these positions will continue to serve if they are useful. If they are just vacant positions, there is no need for them to stay any longer."
The important positions in these local government offices are held by those who are most capable.
But it is not the case for aristocratic families.
Most of them are clan-led, have strong cohesion, and the position of the head of the family is irreplaceable.
"There are many aristocratic families in Tan, Qian, and Yi states. The power of the aristocratic families is even greater than that of the local government. It is neither possible nor necessary to completely eradicate them. Instead of eliminating them, it is better to recruit them for your own use."
Qi Xu still remembered the scene he saw after he fell asleep when he was injured last time. If he could recruit the militias raised by the noble families in the southwest, it would be a good thing for him and Dayong.
After a moment's silence, she continued, "Now the relationship between me and the aristocratic family is either the east wind prevailing over the west wind, or the west wind prevailing over the east wind. We shouldn't rush into it, and let them hang out for two days first."
"So that's how it is." Feng Ping was amazed.
My master really looks three steps ahead before he takes one step.
The three fiefdom states were located on the southwestern border. Except for Tanzhou, which occasionally received attention, the other two states were not taken seriously by the court at all, which made it convenient for them to act.
If they can really use all the power of the government and the aristocratic families in these three states for their own use, they will have a force that is no weaker than the Northwestern Army. In the future, they can use the three southwestern states as their base, and they can attack when they advance and defend when they retreat.
Feng Ping now even suspected that the emperor's previous award of these three states as fiefdoms was not simply because he wanted to find a faraway place to send his master away, but was due to his master's deliberate guidance.
Seeing Feng Ping's enlightened expression, Qi Xu laughed and shook his head, saying, "That's all for later."
"Now that the flood in Tanzhou has ended and the area is devastated, the most urgent task is not to develop our power, but to help the people affected by the disaster rebuild their homes and settle down."
The purpose of making the bureaucrats of these three states and the heads of various aristocratic families obey orders is to govern these three states as quickly as possible.
He did not expect it to be as prosperous as the one under his grandfather's rule, but at least he wanted it to be restored to the peaceful and prosperous state that existed in Dayong a few years ago when Emperor Xiaoming ascended the throne.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
